MAIF Ekiden de Paris 2026

Six runners share one marathon at the MAIF Ekiden de Paris, a Paris road relay run in early November. The format originates from Japan: instead of one person covering 42.195 km alone, teammates split the distance and pass the race from runner to runner. The event also offers a half-marathon distance of 21.0975 km, suitable for groups that want the team format without committing to the full marathon distance. The course runs through Paris, using the city’s monuments as part of the setting, but the main focus is the team race rather than solo sightseeing. More than 1,600 teams participated in a recent edition, with club runners, mixed-ability groups, and very fast squads all on the same program. The competition at the front is serious: a Kenyan team ran under two hours on French soil, the men’s French senior ekiden record was broken, and the women’s winners finished in 2h22'30''.